EP2345587A1 - Packaging assembly with discharge station - Google Patents

Abstract

The plant (1) has a control system (19) managing packages (11) transported on a transport system along multiple test stations within the plant such that a status is assigned to each package by the control system. A discharge station (21) placed in a direction of production downstream of two of the test stations removes defective packages from the transport system and sorts the defective packages. A marking device marks each defective package corresponding to the status of the defective package. Each package with the status can be changed by the two test stations. The marking device is label printing device. The test station is an X-ray apparatus. An independent claim is also included for a method for operating a packaging plant.

Description

The invention relates to a packaging system according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a method according to the preamble of claim 7.

Packaging equipment typically includes multiple workstations. At the beginning of a packaging system, containers can be transferred to a transport system, whereby the transport system is usually designed as a conveyor belt. If the containers within the packaging system are first generated by a forming station, then a film web is moved through a two-sided film transport chain along the work stations. Subsequently, the introduction of products takes place in the container. In a subsequent sealing station, the containers are closed with a cover foil after the containers have been evacuated and / or fumigated to produce a package which ensures the longest possible shelf life, especially for food.

For example, if an error occurs during a sealing process, the status of the affected packages is changed in a controller tracking all packages in the packaging plant. Thus, the packages have been provided with a status, for example "errors". These packs must then be sorted out, as they must not be delivered.

For the rest of this text, the term "status" is defined as the virtual state of the container or package in the controller. The real state of the container or the packing in the packaging installation is the degree of processing by the workstations. A "container" is open for product delivery; a "pack" is defined as an open or closed container, preferably as a container closed by a lid foil.

A next work station may be a labeling station that applies a label to all packages. The label may include best before date, article number, and product information, which are usually set by law.

Packages which have been produced on a thermoforming packaging machine by a forming station, and which are still related in a film composite separated by one or more cutting stations and further transported in one or more lanes.

Thermoforming packaging machines are already known in which a machine controller packages the containers via a transport system within the machine via forming containers, filling products into the containers, and closing the containers by sealing a lid film and applying labels to the packages so produced This means that the position and status of the container or package is present in the controller.

If an error occurs at the workstations for forming, filling, sealing or labeling, the status of these affected packages is set to "feeder". Especially after a conversion of thermoforming packaging machine comes with the new set up a variety of empty packs. These so-called empty packages should not be fed to the production process following the thermoforming packaging machine. Thus, these empty packages or packages with the status "error" are sorted out after the workstation for separating the packages from the film composite located at the end of each thermoforming packaging machine.

In a packaging system comprising a thermoforming packaging machine, for example, follow-up test stations, which are designed as independent system components and take over the packs from a conveyor belt, transport these packs by means of a conveyor belt through the test stations and then passes on to a subsequent conveyor belt a subsequent system component. Devices such as slides or air nozzles are provided in such test stations in order to discharge packages which are identified as being defective into a designated container of the test station.

Operators of such packaging systems usually buy the packaging machines and plant components from different manufacturers. As a result, each plant component has its own rejection system with receptacle. In this case, at least the conveyor belts in the position for transferring the packages and the transport speeds between the packaging machine and between the system components must be coordinated. Usually, the release for a start of the packaging system or stopping the Packaging system passed through digital signals to the controllers of the upstream and downstream system component.

At the same time, the test stations work autonomously and also transport only the packs recognized here into their own receptacle.

Preferably, after leaving the packaging machine, the packages are transported through a metal detector which checks the packages for metal residues. In the case of an error, namely the detection of metallic foreign bodies in the package, these affected packages are sorted out by a mechanical slide or by means of air nozzles into a preferably closable receiving container of this testing station. This ensures that these packages can only be removed by authorized personnel, usually the quality personnel, and that the operators at the packaging plant are unable to return these packages to the packaging machine.

Another test station may be a scale from which packages, which are not within the weight tolerance limit, are sorted out into a receptacle comprising this station.

As a further test station, a vision system is common to control the presence, position and / or correct execution of the printing of a label on the package. Again, the package is sorted out in an error in a receptacle of this test station.

Thus, as standard along the packaging system many receptacles with sorted out packages at the test stations, which act as independent system components in series, available. For most faults, it is permissible and common practice to remove the products from the packages and return them to the packaging machine's workstation to fill the containers with the products, as the defect in the package is not always related to the quality of the product itself.

The execution of a packaging system with multiple discharge facilities at the respective work or inspection stations a high space requirement for the packaging plant and thus production area is required.

There are also long ways for the staff to empty the receptacles with the drained packs at the various workstations.

The operator recognizes the cause of the error only on the basis of the assignment of the respective receptacle at the respective test station. In the case of an accidental bringing together and mixing of packages from different receptacles and thus with different errors, it is no longer possible for the operating staff to differentiate the packages according to the type of error.

The object of the present invention is to provide a packaging installation and a method for operating such a packaging installation in which the disadvantages described above can be eliminated.

This object is achieved by a packaging system with the features of claim 1 or by a method for operating such a packaging system according to claim 7. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

• Behälterzuführung oder Formstation von Behältern,
• Produktzuführung, Einlegestation oder Füllstation,
• Versiegelstation,
• Etikettierstation,
• Schneide- oder Vereinzelungsstation,
• Prüfstation Metalldetektor,
• Prüfstation Waage,
• Prüfstation Visionsystem,
• Ausschleusstation,
• Übergabestation .

The packaging installation according to the invention can comprise the following working and testing stations:

• Container feeder or forming station of containers,
• Product feeder, infeed station or filling station,
• sealing station,
• labeling,
• Cutting or separating station,
• Test station metal detector,
• Testing station scales,
• Test station vision system,
• removal station,
• Transfer station.

The advantage of a discharge station after the inspection stations following a packaging plant is that defective packages on this one Removal station can be sorted out, regardless of whether the detection of a fault has taken place at a workstation of the packaging machine or one or more test stations.

Advantageously, the discharge station also comprises a device for applying an optical marking in order to be able to visually distinguish the packages after removal from one or more receiving containers in the manner of the respectively detected fault.

A transport system transports the containers or packs along all the work and testing stations through the packaging system. By means of a controller, all containers or packages are managed within the packaging system. This means that the information is present in the controller, where the containers or packages on the transport system and in which state the containers or packs are located. Each container or pack has in the controller a status assigned to it by the controller, which describes the condition of the container.

For the rest of the description, the state of the container or package is defined as the real working degree by the workstations and the status as a virtual feature for description within the controller.

The workstations and test stations, in conjunction with the controller, can change the status of the containers or packs processed by the workstations or tested by the test stations. A container or package that has already been processed by multiple workstations may have three or more different states (eg no error, error 1, error 2) in the controller, since several workstations have previously processed the container and there are different causes of error and failure thus can give stati. It is conceivable that there is also a status that represents the combination of various errors. Likewise, it is also conceivable that a container or a package in which the status has already been changed to "Fehter", is no longer checked by them in further passing test stations.

The packages can be provided with an optical marking, which is preferably carried out directly in front of or at the discharge station.

Such a central discharge station to the work and inspection stations not only brings the advantage of a single position in the packaging system for removing the sorted packs by operators and / or quality assurance staff, but also a smaller footprint of the entire packaging system. If a robot is used to remove the packages from the transport system, it can replace the individual mechanical slides at the respective workstations and sort out the packages in a very simple and efficient manner in a common or in several receptacle.

In order for the personnel to be able to differentiate the packs which are located in a common receptacle, they can be provided, for example, with a label before or at the discharge station. This label may contain text with the status or a color code that quickly and easily recognizes the status and reflects the error.

For example, by an inkjet printer, it is also possible to print text information or color coding directly on the packages.

The discharge station is preferably arranged at the end of the packaging installation, at least after the inspection stations for checking the packages according to different criteria: for example checking for metal residues, incorrect weight, wrong or missing label, faulty imprint or product residues in the sealed seam.

Due to regulatory requirements, it may be necessary to have multiple receptacles at the central exit station and one of them in a design that allows only an authorized group of people to retrieve packages therefrom, as in the food sector, metal residue products are not returned to the packaging process allowed to.

According to the method of the invention, the containers are transported along the workstations and the workstations relay information to the controller, which may result in changes in the status of a container in the controller.

In the transport direction in front of the discharge station, the packages with the status, in case of an error during the previous processing within the Packaging system, visually marked and removed from the transport system in the discharge station.

This optical identification makes it visually easy for the personnel to see which error is present in the relevant package, be it through a color code or a printed text.

It is advantageous if the discharge station has several receptacles for the different states for sorting, since the different possible errors also make it possible to have different states which have the common property that the relevant packs have to be sorted out.

• Fig. 1 zeigt eine schematische Seitenansicht eines Ausführungsbeispiels der erfindungsgemäßen Verpackungsanlage.

In the following, an advantageous embodiment of the invention is illustrated in more detail with reference to a drawing.

• Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of an embodiment of the packaging system according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a packaging system 1 according to the invention, in which at the beginning of a film web 2 is unrolled from a roll 3 and forms a station 4 as a first work station container 5 for receiving products 6 in the film web 2. In the FIG. 1 not all molded container 5 are shown in the film web 2 diagrammatically. In the production direction R, an insertion path follows, at which a robot 7 inserts the products 6, for example transported on a conveyor belt 8, into the containers 5. A next work station is a sealing station 9, which feeds a cover film 10 (cover film profile not shown in detail) into the sealing station 9 and seals it with the film web 2 and thus forms closed, product-filled packages 11. In this case, the packs 11 can be evacuated and / or fumigated before the sealing process.

The packs 11 are transported as a film composite with the film web 2 and could be provided in a workstation, not shown, by means of a labeling on top and / or bottom with a label. For example, the labeling could also be part of another workstation. This is referred to as separating station 12, since at this workstation, the packs 11 are separated out of the film web 2 and then leave this singling station 12 as a single packs 11 successively on a conveyor belt 13. For example, if the products are food-grade, testing stations such as X-ray machine 14 or a metal detector for testing for metallic debris in the package 11 and a balance 15 for determining the weight of the package 11 with the product 6 follow.

As a further test station is followed by a vision system 16, for example, checks the location and printing of a label or alone the presence of a label. Other test features which can be evaluated for the vision system 16 can also be evaluated.

At the end of the packaging system 1, the implementation of the individual packs 11 takes place for example in boxes 17 or boxes. In the FIG. 1 This workstation (transfer station) is performed by a robot 18, which takes the individual packages from the conveyor belt 13 and inserts into a carton 17 provided.

An important prerequisite here is that only packs 11 are introduced into the boxes 17 and made available for the further transport path, which are in perfect condition with regard to product and pack including labeling.

The determination and information as to whether a product is in perfect condition or faulty is carried out by means of a line control in a controller 19 of the packaging installation 1. In each case, a data record is assigned to a container or a pack within the packaging system 1. This data record can contain information such as status, cause of error, position of the container or the package on the transport system within the packaging system.

Each work and test station 4,7,9,12,13,14,15,16 is connected to the controller 19 and reports in the event of detection of an error, the cause of the problem for the affected packages 11. The control or the working or test station itself then sets a different value in the status of or the container concerned 5 or packs 11, which are all tracked over the entire transport path of the packaging system 1 and preferably displayed graphically and / or color on a control terminal 20.

• Formstation 4:
  • Bei einem nicht für den Formprozess ausreichenden Über- und/oder Unterdruck ist es nicht sichergestellt, dass die Mulden 5 in einwandfreiem Zustand die Formstation 4 verlassen. Somit werden alle darin befindlichen Mulden als "fehlerhaft" an die Steuerung gesendet und der Status auf "fehlerhaft - Fehlformung" gesetzt. Im Folgenden wird der Roboter 7 keine Produkte 6 in diese Mulden einlegen.
• Einlegestrecke:
  • Ist der Roboter 7 nicht in der Lage, beispielsweise durch einen Mangel an Produkten 6 auf dem Zuführband 8, die vorgesehen Mulden 5 mit Produkten 6 zu füllen, so wird für die nicht gefüllten Mulden in der Steuerung 19 der Status auf "fehterhaft - Fehlfüllung" geändert.
• Siegelstation 9:
  • Ein Problem beim Begasungsprozess mit einem notwendigen Gasgemisch kann durch den Mangel einer Gassorte zu einer nicht ordnungsgemäßen Atmosphäre in der Packung 11 führen. In einem solchen Fall wird der Status aller in der Siegelstation 9 befindlichen Packungen 11 in der Steuerung 19 auf "fehterhaft - Fehlbegasung" geändert.
• Vereinzelungsstation 12 mit Etikettierung:
  • Bei einem Mangel an Etiketten können beispielsweise nicht alle Packungen mit Etiketten versehen werden. Der Status der Packungen 11, die kein Etikett erhalten haben, wird in diesem Fall in der Steuerung 19 auf "fehterhaft - Fehletikettierung" geändert.
• Prüfstation Röntgengerät 14:
  • Einzelne Packungen 11 durchlaufen den Tunnel des Röntgengerätes 14. Sollte ein Fremdkörper in der Packung 11 festgestellt werden, so wird in der Steuerung 19 der Status dieser Packung auf "fehlerhaft - Fremdkörper" geändert.
• Prüfstation Waage 15:
  • Auf dem Transportband der Waage 15 wird während der Transportbewegung das Gewicht der Packung 11 mit dem Produkt 6 ermittelt. Beispielsweise bei einer untergewichtigen Packung außerhalb der vorgegebenen Toleranz wird auch hier in der Steuerung 19 der Status dieser Packung auf "fehlerhaft - Untergewicht" geändert.
• Prüfstation Visionsystem 16:
  • Wird ein fehlendes oder falsch positioniertes Etikett oder eine fehlerhafte Bedruckung durch das Visionsystem ausgewertet, so wird auch hier in der Steuerung 19 der Status auf "fehlerhaft - Vision" geändert.

The following error causes can lead to a status of "faulty" by the respective workstations and test stations:

• Forming station 4:
  • In the case of a positive and / or negative pressure which is not sufficient for the molding process, it is not ensured that the recesses 5 leave the molding station 4 in perfect condition. Thus, all troughs therein are sent to the controller as "faulty" and the status is set to "faulty - miss-shaping". In the following, the robot 7 will not insert products 6 in these troughs.
• Loading area:
  • If the robot 7 is unable, for example due to a lack of products 6 on the feed belt 8, to fill the provided troughs 5 with products 6, the status for the unfilled troughs in the controller 19 will be "erroneous - incorrect filling". changed.
• Sealing station 9:
  • A problem in the gassing process with a necessary gas mixture may lead to an improper atmosphere in the package 11 due to the lack of a gas species. In such a case, the status of all packs 11 located in the sealing station 9 in the controller 19 is changed to "misappropriated - incorrect fumigation".
• Separation station 12 with labeling:
  • For example, if there is a shortage of labels, not all packages can be labeled. The status of the packs 11 which have not received a label is in this case changed in the controller 19 to "misappropriated - mislabelling".
• Test station X-ray machine 14:
  • Individual packs 11 pass through the tunnel of the X-ray apparatus 14. If a foreign body is detected in the pack 11, then in the controller 19, the status of this pack is changed to "faulty - foreign body".
• Test station scale 15:
  • On the conveyor belt of the balance 15, the weight of the pack 11 with the product 6 is determined during the transport movement. For example, in the case of an underweight pack outside the specified tolerance, the status of this pack is also changed to "faulty underweight" in the controller 19 here.
• Test station vision system 16:
  • If a missing or incorrectly positioned label or faulty printing is evaluated by the vision system, the status is changed to "faulty vision" here in the control 19 as well.

In order to ensure that no "faulty" packs 11 leave the packaging installation 1, a central discharge station 21 is provided before the end of the transport route. In the FIG. 1 the central discharge station 21 is executed by a robot, which is able to take over the information of the route control 19 as "incorrectly" set packs 11 from the conveyor belt and place in corresponding receptacle 22 or more discharge belts. In order to be able to distinguish packs 11, which are sorted out due to various causes of error but stored in a common receptacle, a marking device 23 is provided, by means of which the packs 11 are labeled, labeled, color coded or otherwise optically marked in front of or at the central discharge station 21 can.

The invention is not limited to a single central discharge station 21. For legal reasons, it may also be necessary that an additional inspection station is present, which includes its own discharge device in which, for example, the packages sorted out in a receptacle accessible only to authorized personnel become.

Claims (9)

Packaging installation (1) comprising a plurality of inspection stations, preferably a balance (15), a metal detector, an X-ray inspection device (14) and / or a vision system (16), and a transport system (13) and a controller (19), wherein the controller (19) is configured to manage packages (11) transported in the packaging installation (1) along the transport system (13) at the inspection stations within the packaging installation (1) in such a way that each package (11) of the Control (19) is associated with a status, wherein the test stations together with the controller (19) are adapted to change the status, wherein the packaging system (1) comprises a discharge station (21) which is able, defective packages (11 ) from the transport system (13) and to sort out, characterized in that the discharge station (21) in the production direction (R) after at least two test stations is arranged and the packages (11) has a status in the controller (19 ), which is variable by at least two consecutively passing through test stations (14, 15, 16), and the packages (11) by means of a marking device (23) are marked according to the status. Packaging installation according to claim 1, characterized in that a marking device (23) is provided for identifying defective packages (11) by means of printed labels. Packaging installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a marking device (23) is provided for identifying defective packages (11) by means of printed information or color coding. Packaging installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the discharge station (21) to all testing stations (14, 15, 16) is arranged. Packaging installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the discharge station (21) comprises a plurality of receptacle (22). Packaging installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a receptacle (22) of the discharge station (21) is accessible only to a limited group of people. Method for operating a packaging installation (1) having at least two test stations (14, 15, 16), a discharge station (21), a controller (19) and a transport system (13) for transporting packages (11) along the test stations, wherein the packages (11) are assigned a status in the controller (19) that can be changed by the inspection stations together with the controller (19), and wherein the controller (19) packages (11) along the transport system (13) within the packing station (1), characterized in that the inspection stations together with the controller (19) change the status of a package (11) when an error is detected, and such a package (11) by means of a marking device (23) with a Label corresponding to their status, and this pack (11) is removed at the discharge station (21) of the transport system (13). A method according to claim 7, characterized in that the marking by means of the marking device (23) by the application of labels on the package (11). A method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that removed packages (11) are stored in a receptacle (22) of the discharge station (21) in accordance with the status.

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